University Catalog 2023-2024

Africana Studies (AFS)

AFS 240  African Civilization  (3 credit hours)  

An interdisciplinary study of centers of African civilization from antiquity to the 1960s. Such centers include ancient Egypt, Nubia, Axum, Ghana, Mali, Songhai, Kilwa, Malinda, Sofola, Zinzibar and Monomotapa.

GEP Global Knowledge, GEP Humanities

Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer

AFS 241  Introduction to African American Studies  (3 credit hours)  

Introduces students to the field of African American/Black Studies. A transdisciplinary approach is used that includes humanistic and social scientific disciplines. The course offers an intellectual and methodological framework for understanding the past, present, and future of people of African descent in the United States of America. Topical areas are covered that capture the historical, political, economic, cultural, sociological and psychological experiences of African Americans.

GEP Humanities, GEP U.S. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, GEP U.S. Diversity

Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer

AFS 248/ENG 248  Survey of African-American Literature  (3 credit hours)  

African-American writing and its relationships to American culture and history. Covers such writers as Wheatley, Douglass, Chesnutt, Dunbar, DuBois, Hughes, Hurston, Wright, and Morrison.

GEP Humanities, GEP U.S. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, GEP U.S. Diversity

Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer

AFS 260/MUS 260  History of Jazz  (3 credit hours)  

History of jazz and the contributions of major artists. Emphasis of the various styles that have contributed to this American art form. Investigation of structural forms in the jazz idiom.

GEP Visual and Performing Arts, GEP U.S. Diversity

Typically offered in Spring and Summer

AFS 275/HI 275  Introduction to History of South and East Africa  (3 credit hours)  

The African kingdoms (Lunda, Buganda, and Zulu); the European encroachment; the origins of colonialism and the character of colonial societies and economies, South African apartheid; African protest, nationalism and independence.

GEP Humanities, GEP Global Knowledge

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

AFS 276/HI 276  Introduction to History of West Africa  (3 credit hours)  

The history of Western Africa. Forest civilizations and the slave trade, trade and the expansion of Islam, colonialism in West Africa; African nationalism and the achievement of independence; and postcolonial West Africa.

GEP Global Knowledge, GEP Humanities

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

AFS 305/SOC 305  Racial and Ethnic Relations  (3 credit hours)  

Study of the nature of the relationships among racial and ethnic groups in societies around the world but with emphasis on the United States. Explores topics such as inequalities of wealth, power, and status, racism, conflict, and social boundaries among groups. Current trends in intergroup relations are discussed.

Prerequisite: 3 cr. in SOC, 200 level

GEP Social Sciences, GEP U.S. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, GEP U.S. Diversity

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

AFS 342  Introduction to the African Diaspora  (3 credit hours)  

Exploration of the global experiences of people of African descent. Geographical areas include the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. Exploration of the web of interrelated histories, social dynamics, and politico-economic processes affecting and reflecting world cultures and histories. Foundational course for the exploration of methodological issues and theoretical concerns in the field of African Diaspora Studies.

GEP Global Knowledge, GEP Humanities

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

AFS 343/REL 343  African American Religions  (3 credit hours)  

History of religions among Americans of African descent from the period of the development of the transatlantic slave trade to the present. Exploration of the complex ways religion has shaped the lifeworld of African Americans.

GEP Humanities, GEP U.S. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, GEP U.S. Diversity

Typically offered in Spring only

AFS 344  Leadership in African American Communities  (3 credit hours)  

Historical, cultural and political examination of the dynamics of leadership in African American communities. Focus on the structure of leadership in the context of gender, ideology, and style. Interdisciplinary examination of impact of leaders on broader American society.

GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives, GEP U.S. Diversity, GEP U.S. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer

AFS 345/PSY 345  Psychology and the African American Experience  (3 credit hours)  

Historical and cultural examination of the psychological experiences of African Americans from pre-American times to the present. Focus on mental health, personality, identity development, racism, oppression, psychological empowerment and an African-centered world view. Discussion of contemporary issues within the African American community.

GEP U.S. Diversity, GEP U.S. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

AFS 346/ARS 346  Black Popular Culture  (3 credit hours)  

An interdisciplinary examination of contemporary black cultural expression in film, music, art, and the media. Emphasis on race, class, gender, and political discourse. This class may be scheduled with a small percentage of seats held for IDS Students Only.

GEP U.S. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, GEP Humanities, GEP U.S. Diversity

Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer

AFS 349/ENG 349  African Literature in English  (3 credit hours)  

Anglophone literature in Africa. Emphasis on the relationship between the African world-view and literary production and the persistent trend by African writers to connect literature with politics. Writers such as Achebe, Ngugi, Soyinka, and Serote.

Prerequisite: Sophomore standing and above

Typically offered in Spring only

AFS 372/HI 372  African-American History Through the Civil War, 1619-1865  (3 credit hours)  

African background and continuity of the particular role, experience and influence of African Americans in the United States through the Civil War.

GEP Humanities, GEP U.S. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, GEP U.S. Diversity

Typically offered in Fall only

AFS 373/HI 373  African-American History Since 1865  (3 credit hours)  

The history of African-Americans from the Reconstruction era through the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s to the present.

GEP Humanities, GEP U.S. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, GEP U.S. Diversity

Typically offered in Spring only

AFS 375/ENG 375  African American Cinema  (3 credit hours)  

Survey and analysis of African American film culture from 1900-present. Examination of pre-Hollywood, classical Hollywood, and Independent filmmaking. Particular focus on independent filmmakers' response to dominant industry representations and the work of filmmakers who seek to create a specifically African American cinematic style.

GEP U.S. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, GEP U.S. Diversity

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

AFS 380/WGS 380  Black Feminist Theory  (3 credit hours)  

Focused examination of Black feminist theory as a significant and distinct body of work. Interdisciplinary exploration of the impact of Black feminist theory on movements for social justice, the development of academic feminism generally, and the lived experience of Black women both in the United States and internationally.

Prerequisite: Any 200-level course in either WGS or AFS

GEP U.S. Diversity, GEP U.S. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

AFS 409/PS 409  Black Political Participation in America  (3 credit hours)  

African American political participation in the United States; political culture, socialization, and mobilization, with a focus on the interaction between African Americans and actors, institutions, processes, and policies of the American political system.

Typically offered in Fall only

AFS 440  Senior Seminar in Africana Studies  (3 credit hours)  

In-depth examination of Africana Studies issues. Interdisciplinary exploration of key problems and proposed solutions for African communities on the African continent and throughout the world. Requires written research project using interdisciplinary approaches and critical analyses.

Prerequisite: AFS 342; Africana Studies Majors or Africana Studies Minors

Typically offered in Spring only

AFS 442  Issues in the African Diaspora  (3 credit hours)  

Multidisciplinary exploration of the interrelated histories, social dynamics, and politico-economic processes of the experiences of people of African descent throughout the world. Particular focus on the experiences of slavery, artistic expression, gender practices, and the impact of the nation-state.

GEP Humanities

Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer

AFS 444  African American and African Women Leaders  (3 credit hours)  

This course draws on the theoretical debates in race, class, gender, and leadership studies to investigate the historical and cultural conditions that have advanced--as well as those that still inhibit--African American and African women's leadership in diverse areas of life in the United States and African countries, comparing them cross-culturally.

GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives, GEP U.S. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

AFS 448/ENG 548/AFS 548/ENG 448  African-American Literature  (3 credit hours)  

Survey of African-American literature and its relationships to American culture, with an emphasis on fiction and poetry since 1945. Writers such as Bontemps, Morrison, Hurston, Baldwin, Hayden, Brooks, Naylor, Harper, and Dove.

Requirement: Junior Standing

GEP Humanities, GEP U.S. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, GEP U.S. Diversity

Typically offered in Fall and Summer

AFS 455/HI 555/AFS 555/HI 455  History of the Civil Rights Movement  (3 credit hours)  

The black revolution; stages and leaders of the movement; successes and failures in the fight for desegregation, the vote, and economic opportunity; impact of Civil Rights movement on the United States. Credit will not be given both for AFS/HI 455 and AFS/HI 555.

P: 3 hrs. of History

GEP Humanities, GEP U.S. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, GEP U.S. Diversity

Typically offered in Fall only

AFS 470  The Red Record and The Birth of a Nation  (3 credit hours)  

This course addresses the power of mass media and the tactics used by early black journalists to confront and subvert racist propaganda. Featured in this course are Ida B. Wells and her efforts in the late 19th and early 20th century to identify and call out justification for the lynching of Black people, especially Black men. We look at Wells' efforts, and what informed them, in juxtaposition with the film Birth of a Nation by director D. W. Griffith. The goal is for students to understand the enduring significance of the film as a piece of propaganda, and the foundation for the manner in which Hollywood situates and engages with the Black character.

GEP Humanities, GEP U.S. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Typically offered in Fall only

AFS 475/HI 575/AFS 575/HI 475  History of the Republic of South Africa  (3 credit hours)  

Evolution of the Republic of South Africa's society, with emphasis on the interaction of diverse peoples and cultures. Particular attention is given to the period since 1870. Credit will not be given for both HI (AFS) 475 and HI 575.

Prerequisite: 3 hours of History

GEP Global Knowledge

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

AFS 476/HI 576/AFS 576/HI 476  Leadership in Modern Africa  (3 credit hours)  

Recent sub-Saharan African political history (excluding South Africa). Overview of concepts, vocabulary, historical trends. Detailed examination of specific African countries as case studies, such as Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Tanzania. Credit will not be given for both HI (AFS) 476 and HI 576.

Prerequisite: 3 hours of history

GEP Global Knowledge

AFS 479/HI 579/AFS 579/HI 479  Africa (sub-Saharan) in the Twentieth Century  (3 credit hours)  

Developments in sub-Saharan Africa during the colonial period, from the end of the nineteenth century to the advent of decolonization in the early 1960s. Interplay of political, social, economic and cultural factors in the experiences of African peoples during this period. Credit will not be given for both HI (AFS) 479 and HI 579

Prerequisite: 3 hours of History

GEP Global Knowledge

Typically offered in Spring only

AFS 490  Africana Studies and Community Involvement  (3 credit hours)  

First part of a two semester service-learning experience. Provides interdisciplinary and experientially based opportunity for students to engage in community and classroom-based experiences that examine issues of relevance to African American people(or communities in the African Diaspora). Students apply and examine concepts addressed in class to their own practical experience in service to others. Development of interpersonal and professional skills. Focus on the values, beliefs, attitudes, and ideas that are central to definitions of democracy, social justice, civic resiliency, self-help, and public life.

Prerequisite: Africana Studies Majors or Africana Studies Minors

Typically offered in Fall only

AFS 491  Study Abroad in Africana Studies  (3 credit hours)  

Specific category of revolving set of field/seminar courses involving multidisciplinary focal areas taught in foreign countries through Africana Studies. Course includes pre-trip orientation and readings and onsite field experiences and lectures. Additional program fees, travel costs and appropriate immunizations are required beyond registration fees.

Typically offered in Summer only

AFS 497  Topics in African-American Studies  (3 credit hours)  

Multidisciplinary examination of selected topics in African-American studies.

Prerequisite: AFS 240

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

AFS 548/ENG 448/AFS 448/ENG 548  African-American Literature  (3 credit hours)  

Survey of African-American literature and its relationships to American culture, with an emphasis on fiction and poetry since 1945. Writers such as Bontemps, Morrison, Hurston, Baldwin, Hayden, Brooks, Naylor, Harper, and Dove.

Requirement: Junior Standing

GEP Humanities, GEP U.S. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, GEP U.S. Diversity

Typically offered in Fall and Summer

AFS 555/HI 455/AFS 455/HI 555  History of the Civil Rights Movement  (3 credit hours)  

The black revolution; stages and leaders of the movement; successes and failures in the fight for desegregation, the vote, and economic opportunity; impact of Civil Rights movement on the United States. Credit will not be given both for AFS/HI 455 and AFS/HI 555.

P: 3 hrs. of History

GEP Humanities, GEP U.S. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, GEP U.S. Diversity

Typically offered in Fall only

AFS 575/HI 475/AFS 475/HI 575  History of the Republic of South Africa  (3 credit hours)  

Evolution of the Republic of South Africa's society, with emphasis on the interaction of diverse peoples and cultures. Particular attention is given to the period since 1870. Credit will not be given for both HI (AFS) 475 and HI 575.

Prerequisite: 3 hours of History

GEP Global Knowledge

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

AFS 576/HI 476/AFS 476/HI 576  Leadership in Modern Africa  (3 credit hours)  

Recent sub-Saharan African political history (excluding South Africa). Overview of concepts, vocabulary, historical trends. Detailed examination of specific African countries as case studies, such as Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Tanzania. Credit will not be given for both HI (AFS) 476 and HI 576.

Prerequisite: 3 hours of history

GEP Global Knowledge

AFS 579/HI 479/AFS 479/HI 579  Africa (sub-Saharan) in the Twentieth Century  (3 credit hours)  

Developments in sub-Saharan Africa during the colonial period, from the end of the nineteenth century to the advent of decolonization in the early 1960s. Interplay of political, social, economic and cultural factors in the experiences of African peoples during this period. Credit will not be given for both HI (AFS) 479 and HI 579

Prerequisite: 3 hours of History

GEP Global Knowledge

Typically offered in Spring only